Product Description

There are some who say that the Lady Fortune
has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it.
The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall,
with the turning of the wheel.

Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father's inn -- but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father's boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to an innkeeper's daughter as a star, Birle is determined to travel with him as far as he will allow.

Their travels take Birle to a world far from home, a world where Lords may become slaves, where Princes rule by fear, and where Fortune's Wheel turns more swiftly and dangerously than Birle could have imagined.

Newberry Medalist Cynthia Voigt's second novel of the Kingdom, set two generations later than Jackaroo, is a memorable combination of thrilling adventure and heart-stopping romance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #496421 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Late one night 14-year-old Birle, the innkeeper's daughter, dives into the river in rash pursuit of a supposed thief, promptly falls in love with this runaway Lord of the Kingdom and embarks with him on a world-spanning adventure. Birle and her Lord are shipwrecked on a barren coast, rescued by pirates, sold into slavery and, after many other tribulations, narrowly escape and head for home. On Fortune's Wheel , set in the same imaginary world as Jackaroo , is a lush narrative woven from elements of classic fairy tales and legends. Newbery Medalist Voigt has provided enough plot for two or three tales, compelling characterizations, keen psychological insights and a surprising, deeply rewarding ending. This novel truly has something for everyone. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
"JACKAROO's many fans will willingly...follow the intrepid Birle as Fortune's wheel swings...from drudgery to adventure, from iron servitude to luxury, and then finally to independence."
BOOKLIST
Fourteen-year-old Birl, an Innkeeper's Daughter, can't imagine herself married to Muir, a hunter who lives in her village. Then, one extraordinary day, she finds a thief untying one of the Inn's boats. She tries to stop him, but by the next morning, she realizes he was Orien, a handsome young Lord, who was leaving his Kingdom behind. She vows to follow him wherever he goes. And together they take a perilous journey to the uncharted South--a sinister place where warriors rule and captives become slaves for life....

Customer Reviews

This is an awesome book!
When my friend first showed me this book, I read the first pageand wouldn't let her have it back untiI had finished it. That's howawesome this book is. It is about a young girl named Birle who dislikes her life at her home and one night discovers a thief stealing a boat from the inn. She follows him and they embark on a series of adventures that will keep you turning the pages, one after another! If you like romance, adventure, or just a plain good story, this book is for you.

It is exciting and so very cute!
Here is the story:girl catches theif, girl meets boy, girl in love at first sight, questions, doubts, slavery, hunger, escape, boy realizes he loves girl, become lord and lady, girl gets pregnant, girl leaves because she doubts boy's love, boy gets heartsick and...you can find out the end for yourself. Along with Orien's bellflower eyes the best part of the book is all of the meaning you get from the book and how much you think about it when you aren't even reading it. My favorite part is the end when Orien wants to meet Liss and he says, "Lady, my heart, when you smile like that, let the child sleep..." Orien and Birle are complex "human" characters that feel and love deeply. They make you cry, laugh, dream and wish that someday you see a pair of eyes like Oriens or a minx's smile like Birles. It is a deep and beautiful story and I recommend it to anyone.

Voight does it again!
Beautifully written. This book can be devoured or chewed thoughtfully. I suggest first one then the other. The characters are captivating, and utterly real. Voight does some of the best characterization you'll find anywhere, not just the main characters but also the supporting characters. Even people who appear on one page of the book she draws so well you can see them clearly. This book contrasts beauty with sorrow, and explores subtlely the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. The analogy of Fortune's Wheel is especially appealing. The ending, however, left me drained and a little unsatisfied. I'm not sure how I would change it, but the first half of the book is by far my favorite part. Overall, one of the best books I've ever read.